The 2024 Tony Awards kicked off with a major dose of hip hop star power when Jay-Z joined Alicia Keys in a performance of “Empire State of Mind” during a “Hell’s Kitchen” medley.
Keys, clad in monogrammed Gucci sat at the baby grand piano singing alongside newcomer Maleah Joi Moon before taking center stage. The crowd was on its feet when Hova — wearing a cropped Louis Vuitton jacket — appeared off-stage performing his verse outside in the lobby before being joined by the “Falling” star.
The 24-time Grammy-winning rap mogul and the 16-time Grammy-winning Broadway newcomer reunited for the Tony audience at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Sunday night with their 2009 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper.
The love letter to the both artist’s native city is featured as a closer in “Hell’s Kitchen.” The critically-acclaimed show is inspired by Keys’ teenage years growing up in the neighborhood surrounding the Times Square theater the show plays in.
Directed by Michael Greif, the show entered the 77th Annual Tony Awards as the most nominated musical with 13 nods. It was in a tight race for best new musical with “The Outsiders.” The musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s bestselling 1967 novel netted 12 Tony nominations.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation firm is listed as a producer of “Hell’s Kitchen,” alongside Rev. Al Sharpton’s daughter Dominique Sharpton and philanthropist Candi Spelling. The 54-year-old Bedford Stuyvesant-born lyricist previously produced “Fela,” the 2010 bio-musical based on the life of late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti.
In development for 11 years, “Hell’s Kitchen” premiered last fall at The Public Theater. The off-Broadway venus has been a breeding ground for productions that go on to become Broadway hits (such as “A Chorus Line,” “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk,” “Hamilton” and another contender for best musical this year, the Hillary Clinton-produced “Suffs.”)
With its hip hop-flavored choreography (spearheaded by Camille A. Brown), wardrobe (designed by Dede Ayite) and soundtrack (orchestrated by Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone), the semi-biographical musical officially opened to rave reviews at The Shubert Theater on April 20.
Earlier in the evening, Ayite became the first Black woman to win a Best Costume Design Tony not for “Hell’s Kitchen” but for her work on the play “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.”
Among its 13 nominations, the Kristoffer Diaz-scripted production also received four nods for main cast members: newcomer Moon, theater veterans Brandon Victor Dixon, Shoshana Beane and stage journeywoman Kecia Lewis.
